Said No to the Prince and Yes to the King novel Chapter 246

Chapter 246 Let’s Stop Trying

Flames swallowed her completely.

She was sure she would die trapped inside the raging fire.

The scene shifted in an instant, and suddenly she was nestled safely in Theodore’s arms.

He held her firmly close to his chest, calling her Margie, his eyes filled with nothing but raw worry.

Theodore murmured softly, “Don’t be afraid, Margie. I’m right here.”

Dreams always moved from one scene to the next without warning.

Before long, they were back inside the Ducal Palace, in his private bedchamber.

Theodore said, “I’ll take you to the thermal springs to clean yourself up.”

Margaret whimpered weakly, “No… Not the springs. It hurts too much.”

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Finished

Large parts of her body felt burned raw. Stepping into the spring water would only make the agony worse.

She tried to reach into her storage space to pull out healing medicine. No matter how long she shut her eyes and focused, she could not retrieve a single remedy.

Her storage space had stopped working entirely.

She stared down at her scarred hands and her tattered, ragged gown, her heart crumbling into despair.

How could this happen?

Why am I burned this badly?

Will I never be able to show my face in public again?

“Margie… Margie…” Theodore called her name again and again in a soft, soothing voice. “Don’t fear. I’m right beside you.”

His voice grew faint and hazy in her ears. Margaret lifted her head, and the world around her turned into a desolate, empty wasteland.

Theodore, who had been with her only moments before, had vanished without a trace.

Panic surged through her.

She began wandering aimlessly, searching for him desperately.

“Don’t leave me!” she cried out shakily. “Theodore!”

She let out a sharp cry and jolted awake, her whole body drenched in cold sweat.

The second she opened her eyes, she found herself back in his bedchamber.

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May

Chapter 246 Let’s Stop Trying

Theodore sat right beside her, holding her tightly in his arms just as he had in her dream.

Theodore’s face lit up with overwhelming relief. “Margie, you’re awake at last.”

He pulled her into a tight, desperate embrace.

Finished

The vivid warmth of his hold and the lingering ache in her body finally told Margaret it had all been just a nightmare.

No… This still has to be a dream.

There’s no way Theodore would call me something as intimate as Margie.

That’s not like him at all–and he’d never hold me like this either.

Margaret mumbled dazedly, her gaze unfocused and distant, “This dream just drags on forever.”

Theodore said at once, his tone urgent and earnest, “This is no dream, Margaret. Listen to me. You were poisoned and lay unconscious for ages. You coughed up massive amounts of blood.”

No. This is definitely still a dream.

Margaret said faintly, “Didn’t you go off to someone’s birthday celebration?”

A sharp twinge of sorrow tugged at Theodore’s heart. “I wasn’t attending any birthday feast. I left only to handle official duties. I told you to wait patiently for me to return home, remember?”

He brushed his palm gently over her forehead. “Tell me where it hurts. What can I do to ease your pain? I neyer realized how much I care about you until you fell deathly ill. You cannot leave me like this. I kept you waiting far too long. Once you recover, I’ll agree to anything you want. Just tell me–what antidote can cure you?”

Margaret could barely process a word he said.

Spots danced across her line of sight, and her head spun with heavy dizziness.

Her stomach churned violently, much like the nauseous rush after drinking too much wine, or the motion sickness she’d felt as a child.

She could not gather her thoughts at all,

Her brows stayed knotted tight, her mind foggy and disconnected.

Margaret whispered weakly, “Let’s stop trying, Theodore. I don’t want to go through with this anymore.”

Falling in love is nothing but heartache.

I barely even started, and already my heart feels heavy and miserable.

I’m far too jealous and petty to share my heart with anyone. How could I ever marry a prince?

I messed up from the very start. I never should have agreed so quickly.

I should have been honest about my true feelings all along.

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Chapter 246 Let’s Stop Trying

The thought alone sent a stabbing pain through her chest.

She curled over in agony. “It hurts so badly.”

What’s wrong with me?

Why does my heart ache this fiercely?

Finished

Theodore gripped her shoulders firmly, his voice sharp with urgency. “Margaret, can you understand a word I’m saying? You’ve been poisoned. Do you know what can cure you?”

To Margaret’s clouded ears, his urgent words sounded like faint static.

When he raised his voice, a throbbing pain flared up deep inside her ears.

She clutched her head in both hands, overwhelmed by the splitting headache.

I can’t take this pain anymore. I need to take something to ease it.

But the moment she closed her eyes, a constant electric hum filled her mind. The noise left her too disoriented to focus enough to access her storage space.

She finally understood how severely her body had broken down.

Yet she could not recall for the life of her exactly what had gone wrong.

Little by little, everything around her faded into total darkness once again.

Theodore felt her go limp and unresponsive in his arms, and he was nearly consumed by despair.

“Margaret, what am I supposed to do with you?” He held her close against his chest, his eyes swimming with helpless heartache. “Can you not hear my voice at all? Or do you hear me, yet refuse to reply?”

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